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Saw a headline on Thebody that made me smile. I am all for finding a vaccine (and a cure), but is it more urgent today than it was a year ago? Has the urgency peaked? Will it get more urgent with time?

I guess the message of the editorial makes sense, just a funny headline.

"The world urgently needs" an HIV vaccine, Alash'le Abimiku, co-chair of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme Steering Committee and Seth Berkley, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, write in an East African opinion piece examining the progress towards a vaccine and the outlook for ongoing development.

"With access to such vaccines, women would be empowered to protect themselves from HIV regardless of the choices made by their male sexual partners," the authors write before noting the need for development "on a global scale." According to the editorial, "Clinical facilities dedicated to AIDS vaccine development in Kenya and Uganda played a central role in the discovery of the new antibodies. Such successes underscore the continuing need for robust clinical trial networks that are equipped and staffed to help design and assess vaccine candidates in developing countries." The authors also discuss the importance of volunteers for vaccine trials.

"Curbing the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is critical to the economic growth of the region. An effective and accessible AIDS vaccine would be a vital asset in any such campaign -- and Africa's people have a great deal to contribute to its discovery," the authors conclude (5/17).